The central function of the Advanced Technologies core (ATC) will be to support GNL researchers in[unreadable] translating basic science knowledge and discoveries into practical measures to improve human health.[unreadable] Research undertaken in the GNL will identify many new potential targets for therapeutics and diagnostics[unreadable] against life threatening infectious diseases. In fulfilling its central function the first service that the ATC will[unreadable] provide will be the resources and expertise to develop in vitro assays that utilize such new targets and[unreadable] technologies, from the research bench top to a standardized, reproducible and validated format suitable that[unreadable] can be used in medium to high throughput screening (HTS) studies. Wherever possible the ATC will place[unreadable] emphasis on developing assays that can be conducted under low containment BSL2 conditions which will[unreadable] maximize their subsequent utility to the research community. However, not all assays developed will be[unreadable] suitable for BSL2 use and, effective validation of many of the BSL2 assays will require confirmatory studies[unreadable] using live pathogens under BSL3 or BSL4 containment. Therefore, as part of its in vitro assay development[unreadable] function the core will not only maintain BSL2 containment resources but will have the resources to conduct[unreadable] assay development under BSL3 and BSL4 containment conditions.[unreadable] The second service that the ATC will provide to the GNL will be infrastructure to conduct HTS studies using[unreadable] the assays that it develops, or other already existing assays under both BSL2 and BSL3 containment with[unreadable] the additional capacity to conduct small scale studies under BSL4 containment. This screening program will[unreadable] provide GNL researchers with the ability to identify active compounds to serve as leads for development of[unreadable] potential new therapeutics.[unreadable] The third major service of the ATC will be to coordinate interactions between GNL researchers and those[unreadable] resources and expertise in specialized research cores that already exist on the UTMB campus. In this role[unreadable] the ATC will contribute directly to the cost effective running of the GNL in two distinct ways. Firstly, it will[unreadable] ensure that GNL researchers make full use of existing resources rather than duplicating them and,[unreadable] secondly, it will minimize the time and effort involved in individual researchers accessing these resources on[unreadable] an ad hoc basis by acting as a single source point of access. This will directly increase research efficiency[unreadable] for the GNL.[unreadable]